


A Hero and His Maiden

by Bird_Of_Scarlet



Category: Escape the Night (Web Series)
Genre: Aftermath, Also there's Roila in here, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Background Character Death, Colleen & Roi is an underrated friendship, Funerals, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Have some angst!, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm so sorry, Lots of Crying, Maiden Of Madness, Self-Sacrifice, Survivor Guilt, The entire season is kind of recapped from Ep 3-10 s o, What Have I Done, What else did you expect? - Freeform, Y'all probably thought my Halloween one-shot was going to be all spoopy, how did this take me one day, n o p e, there's lots of death, this appearently, wow it's 1am what have I done with my time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-08-13 22:27:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16480919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bird_Of_Scarlet/pseuds/Bird_Of_Scarlet
Summary: Every story has a hero, some just don't get the endings they deserve.An Escape The Night AU and inspired sequel toBlame It On Your Golden Heartby canufeelthemagictonight





	A Hero and His Maiden

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Blame It On Your Golden Heart](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16144916) by [canufeelthemagictonight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/canufeelthemagictonight/pseuds/canufeelthemagictonight). 



> Happy Halloween! :D This ended up w a y longer than expected holy shit how in hell did I write this all in one go??
> 
> Also a big thank you to Leah/canufeelthemagictonight for inspiring this idea! Also thank you for screaming with me about it wow.
> 
> -
> 
>  
> 
> _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine._  
>  _You make me happy when skies are grey._  
>  _You'll never know how much I love you,_  
>  _But please don't take my sunshine away._

_How did this happen?_

It's the one question circling through Colleen's head as she looks over the crowd, tear stained faces lining every seat. She _knows_ how this happened, she even has it written out in front of her. _Just read from the card,_ she repeats to herself, _you wanted to do this._ Well, she didn't _want_ to, she _needed_ to, she doesn't know if she could live with herself if she didn't speak up. _He did so much, they deserve to know at least a little bit of truth._

She spots her fellow survivor, Matthew Patrick, a couple rows back, offering her a bittersweet smile and a thumbs up of encouragement. There's an empty seat beside him. Even though she knows it's her own, she can't help but feel like she should see Joey there.

They haven't seen him since that night... _Where the hell did you go?_

She takes several deep breaths, adjusting the cards in front of her, clears her throat and wipes lingering tears from her eyes, before raising her head and beginning.

"I'd like to take the time to tell you all about someone special. He was kind, brave, he danced when he was excited which was a joy to see... But most of all, he was a hero, and I don't think we ever really gave him the credit he deserved..."

-

_I'm sorry, Nikita._

Roi knows his apology is wasted, she isn't here now. Even if she was, she _definitely_ wouldn't forgive him.

 _You called me out_ _and now you're here with me, girl! Oh!_

He tries to push his own words to the back of his head. The utter _pettiness_ he'd felt when thinking them made him sick. He'd acted as if they were about to do some dumb, _non-dangerous,_ dare, like walking into an abandoned house or eating an insanely hot chilli pepper, sure he might have gone to a hospital for that second one but at least no one would end up _dead._

The snake's head slots easily in to another white compartment in the shelf display, as Roi moves back the other artifact catches his eye.

_We'll miss you JC. We'll fight for you and Nikita. You won't die in vain._

As he turns around he sees Ro and Matt exit the lounge, and his heart goes out to them. She was crying, wasn't she? Did he do that?

A feeling of warmth wraps around his waist as he looks down to see a grinning Teala, Colleen just behind her clapping enthusiastically.

"You okay?"

"I thought you were dead _oh my god._ "

He can't help but laugh, wrapping his own arms around her shoulders, holding her as close as he can.

" _I'm glad you have faith in me_."

"Hey! You know I didn't mean it like that... I was just- so _scared_ , but now I don't need to be! Nikita wanted us dead and now we're safe- we can do this! Just like you said we could."

Over Teala's shoulder, in the corner of the room he can see Manny, glaring him down as if he was about to charge the boy then and there, pounding his head into the wall until the daredevil went limp. Roi gulps, cautiously returning his attention back to the girl in his arms.

"Yeah... We're not out of the woods yet, but it's a start."

"Christ, this is the cutest thing I've seen all night, and I just spent like twenty straight minutes with Rosanna 'precious' Pansino making that antidote."

They both laugh, Roi extending an arm to his fellow RV buddy.

"Get in, celebration hugs for all."

Colleen grins, wiggling over to join the embrace. A feeling of warmth fills the air as they just stand there, revelling in the miracle that he's gotten a second chance at life. Sure, Manny will likely take the next available opportunity to kill him, and Ro is currently bawling her eyes out over the most recent loss, but right here is Colleen, someone who he didn't expect to support him but is doing so anyway, and Teala, his poison pal. If they'd gotten through the snakes together then surely they would be okay- as he said himself, everything was going to get better from now on. He'd _promised_ her, and he'd do everything he could to make that promise come true. They just needed to fight for their places, he'd fought for his, but they'd still be coming for her.

Roi now knows what he needs to do, his mission; save Teala. First course of action, finish that puzzle...

"Hey Teala, what did you do with that clue we found earlier?"

"Oh, it's over here."

The group hug broke up as Teala pulled him over to sit on the couch again, reaching for the star that'd been sitting on the table. Safiya and Joey, who had been on the fence about Roi's return, seemed intrigued to say the least, the dark haired reporter coming over for a closer look.

"What's that?"

"We found this while we were poisoned, but we didn't get time to finish it."

"It says, place me on the horizon."

"So we need a horizon?"

Everyone starts scanning, even Manny, who'd be eavesdropping into the conversation, still with a look of disapproval on his face.

It's Colleen who's quick to spot it.

"There's a picture of a horizon right over there, right there."

Roi and Teala quickly pick themselves up, darting over to the wall. Teala goes first, gently placing the sun-shaped piece against the colour. It sticks like a magnet, prompting the wall to _open_.

"Oh my god!" she gasps, backing up as the compartment slides open, almost falling over Roi's feet in the process.

"Gotcha." He quickly moves to set his hands on her shoulders, steadying her.

"Thanks..." She smiles back at him, before looking back to the box.

"Wait..." Colleen reached past them, picking up a slip of paper. "There's a note!"

_Inside lies the Harp of Lazarus._

"What's a Lazarus?" Teala asks, while the cogs whirl it Roi's mind.

_However, the box can only be opened by finding two brass coins that are hidden throughout Everlock and require an additional task to obtain._

Safiya's seems to be on the ball as usual, running her fingers along the grooves in the wood, her eyes fixed on the designs.

"So you guys see these slots where the coins go?" She taps the two small disc-shaped indents on the lid. "That's the same design that was on Joey's bag, at the very beginning."

Everyone looks to the boy, before their attention switches to Matthew and Rosanna entering back from their chat. Safiya quickly making a bee line for the two, beginning to elaborate on their new discovery. Roi can see Matt's eyes widen at the news, before his eyebrows furrow, clearly lost in thought.

_Does he know too?_

"You okay Roi?"

He looks back down to Teala, a smile forming on his face again.

"Yeah... C'mon let's sit down while the others are talking."

_He needs to stick by her... He needs to keep her safe, he-_

-

"Ro."

Although he doesn't show it, part of him cracks slightly at the name.

_Teala didn't pick me?_

He walks over to Manny's side of the pack, getting a smile from Colleen and a glare from the leader.

_And I'm on Manny's team? Great._

The teams converse before heading outside, but before he can fully get down to business, something tugs him back.

"Roi?"

It's her, an apologetic expression lining her face.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for not choosing you, I just-"

"No... It's okay, you've got a good team I mean, I'd probably slow you down-"

"Roi, no it's not that- here," She takes his hands in hers, looking up at him, "Whichever team loses, goes into the final challenge, right?"

"Correct."

"So if we're on the same team, and we lose, then there the possibility that it could be you and me."

The realization clicks in his head almost instantly.

"This way, there's no chance of us going up against each other, no matter what happens. I've got Matt and Safiya, and they're smart, and I'm sorry but I really hope it's enough for us to win. Maybe if I lead the team to victory then they'll leave me be."

He nods, part of him hope her teams wins as well, but what does that mean for him?

"You have Manny, Colleen and Joey. If you beat Nikita, then you can beat any of them, I know you can. What I am _not_ saying is for you to throw this for me, I want you to give this your all. It might even help you get back on some people's good sides after what happened..."

She means Manny, he knows she does. He can still feel the guy's glare burrowing into his back as they speak.

"Give it your all, okay?"

"Okay."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

She smiles up at him, squeezing his hands a little tighter, before letting go and pulling him into another thankful hug.

"Fight for us... Okay?"

"You too. Good luck, Teala."

"Good luck, Roi."

With that they walk out to meet the others, their hands only breaking away from each other the second the hunt starts.

_Off she goes..._

As expected, the hunt is insanity. For a start, the monster that's chasing them is one of the tallest creatures Roi has ever seen. Yes, it's also one of the coolest things Roi has seen, but it's arms look like they could snap a human's neck in just one swipe. Roi does _not_ want that to be him.

Joey's quick at spotting the sun they need for their clue, and Roi's mind reaches back to Teala, along with the clue they'd found earlier.

_Lazarus..._

Within minutes Joey's found the first finger, and he almost leaps into the air with joy.

_One down, only a couple to go._

For a brief second he makes eye contact with Teala again, who's standing under the red light only a couple of metres away. He waves, she waves back, then it's right back into the action.

They slot the finger back onto the bone.

"Where's the clue?"

The five of them, Calliope included, scan over the box, before the monster appears again. He, Manny and Colleen make it back to the circle, but Joey and their helper aren't so lucky.

"He's gonna get them." Manny hisses, an all of a sudden it's clear to Roi what he has to do.

_I want you to give this your all._

Without a second of hesitation Roi leaps out of the red glow, waving his arms above his head.

"Hey tall guy! Look over here!"

The creature takes the bait, turning to look at the daredevil, before he begins to make his way over.

_I did it!_

"Guys I got the clue!"

Joey waves a slip of paper in the air triumphantly, which more than entices the creature back towards him. Roi doubles his efforts to lure it away, leaping up and down, he can even here Colleen call " _D_ _o a barrel roll!"_ from under the light. Within a couple seconds Manny appears beside him. The taller man offers him a quick thumbs up, causing him to grin back.

Time passes, and they've found their second finger. When they return it to the hand Roi spots that Teala and her group only have one.

 _We're ahead,_ his mind starts to panic, _but it's one more than none... Come on Teala._

The next few minutes go so quickly it feels like a blur. Roi does a lot more frantic running, and they find their other finger, and after that the box, and finally, the gems. The next time he fully becomes aware of what's happening is when he's pulled into a victory hug by Manny, Joey and Colleen, the latter of whom is excitably chattering in his ear.

"Go Roi! Stepping up." She playfully punches him on the shoulder in congratulations.

"We did it?"

"Hell yeah we did!"

"We _did_ it!"

He pumped his fist in the air, spinning on his heels, his eyes searching for a specific someone.

_She isn't there._

He turned back round to Colleen, her smile falling to a look of empathy as she came to understand his situation.

A minute later she walks through the door, a bumbling mass of defeated _congratz_ circle through the room, as Joey reminds them that this means the other team is up for voting.

_Teala is up for voting._

_Against Matt, Saf and Ro._

His heart sinks to a pit in his stomach, churning with fear. As they walk back to the lounge, she appears at his side, slipping her hand into his. He can practically feel her shaking.

They pause, once again being the final two left.

"I guess it won't be me and you at least, huh?"

"No, it won't..."

He pulls her in for a hug, trying not to breakdown as the harsh reality hits him.

_They'll come for her again._

_He needs to protect her... He promised himself he'd save her. He promised her it was going to be okay-_

_It's going to be okay, right?_

...

It's not okay.

The second he sees the colourful card in Calliope's hand his head sinks to his knees. He can feel Colleen hand gently rest on his shoulder, trying her best to comfort him, but it won't be enough.

He hears Rosanna's name called as well, and though he'd be ashamed to say it, a bit of hope lights in his heart.

_You can beat her, Teala. Please. I'm sorry Matt, Saf, everyone... I need her back. I promised I'd save her..._

With another soft glance she catches his eye as she goes, bidding farewell with a small wave.

_Please let me see her again..._

_Please..._

...

After talking with Colleen for a bit, his head is back on his knees, his hands curled around his neck, rocking himself gently back and forth is his seat.

All of a sudden he hears Matt gasp, bracing himself for the worst.

_"Ro!"_

He didn't prepare well enough.

Everything fades into a dark blur, he can hear laughing, cheers, applause. He hears Ro.

Not Teala.

Ro...

His own hollow sobs echo around his mind as he tries his best to curl up into himself.

_I need to be happy... For Ro, and Matt, and Saf, and everyone else... I need to be-_

"Roi?"

He looks up to see Rosanna crouched in front of him, compassion radiating from her eyes.

"I'm sorry..."

He chokes out a laugh. He can't stay mad at this one, never mind stay mad at anyone else.

"It's okay..."

"Roi..."

"Hey. No hard feelings right."

After a pause the girl gently sits down beside him, opening up her arms, a hug while he gladly takes, breaking down in front of the entire group. Within seconds they join him, wrapping him up in a blanket of sympathetic support, but the warmth that's been taken from around his shoulders blocks them out, leaving him to suffocate in a cold bubble of regret and broken promises.

One hour.

Who knew one more hour with someone could end up shattering his heart?

_When they finally move on he's still holding his own hand._

-

"Roi?"

He looks up, it's almost been an hour and he _still_ can't get her out of his head. If it weren't for Colleen he'd have probably faded into nothingness by now.

" _Roi_."

He gives a quick nod, clearing his throat. It's Colleen, the nervous look in her eyes telling him that it's his time to talk. This is a boys only challenge, and he is very much a boy, so once again he's in the danger zone. When he speaks he thinks of Teala, back before they split off for the hunt, telling him all the reasons he'd be okay.

"I may have been a bit useless at the start, but I really feel like I've been giving this my all. I was a key part of finding the Lazarus box,"

_Teala._

"I acted as a distraction for the hunting challenge, which saved Joey and Calliope and helped us find our clues,"

_Teala, I'm sorry._

"I threw myself into the arm wrestling challenge..." He starts to trail off, trying to find some kind of impactful note to end on. At this point, he doesn't want to keep fighting, but he knows he has to.

_For her._

_I'm doing this for her..._

"If the time comes I will give my everything for this team, and I won't stop until we've defeated that evil. We can't let it get to us and I swear I am _not_ stopping now."

The others nod, but he can't help but feel it's not enough. The Colleen speaks up.

" _And_ Roi _is_ the only boy to have won a challenge, I'd say he's proved himself on this team already."

He offers her a thankful smile, which she softly returns.

_If he couldn't save Teala, could he still have a chance to save Colleen?_

_Maybe..._

As the minutes tick, by some miracle it's Manny and Matt. Well, not miracle. After Joey's monumental revelation he can tell Colleen and Matt want the boy dead. A part of Roi doesn't blame them.

Screams break into the night and before he knows it, the detective is dead. He rests a hand on Ro's shoulder, attempting to return the comfort that she gave him just an hour ago. The little jet-setter tearfully smiles up at him, clutching Matt's badge to her heart.

For what feels like the hundredth time tonight, he misses Teala, but when he sees Colleen's bitter expression as she glares their host down, he knows he needs to keep fighting.

-

_It's pretty safe to say that the next three quarters of an hour we're anything but better than the entire night so far._

_What was he ever expecting anyway?_

Dolls. Of course it was dolls.

If you asked Roi what his mind went to when he thought of dolls, he would probably talk about barbies, or even, if you specifically stated old dolls, those porcelain marionette things. Dolls are usually meant to be cared for, looked after, cherished.

He remembers her again, standing there, before everything went downhill, laughing without a care in the world.

 _Now she's gone,_ he keeps reminding himself, _and she's not coming back._

Colleen has to stop him from tugging off his fingers again.

He steps up, the daredevil he is, _was,_ shoving his hand down a moving garbage disposal. He's okay, well, if okay is still having your hand at least.

He keeps with Colleen and Manny, who seems to have somewhat forgiven him by now, directing his anger elsewhere, luring a doll into a jail cell and unlocking a trapdoor.

Another secret room.

It's at this point where Ro, Joey and Safiya come back. A blood covered doll in their hands.

_But that's not all._

"I found the second Lazarus coin."

"Oh my god- You're kidding."

Joey holds out the brass coin, half covered in the same tar-like gunk that stained his arm. Roi can see Colleen shift beside him, doubt clouding over her eyes.

_Don't lose hope on me now..._

He finds himself drifting towards the newly opened trap door, and inside lies the chamber of the Maiden. A chorus of horrified comments rises, culminating in the moment Joey and Manny open up its door.

Spikes.

_Everywhere._

The Maiden of Madness is an Iron Maiden.

_Of course it is._

Safiya, still the most alert out of all of them, carefully plucks a note that had been pierced by one of the iron spikes, reading it aloud.

_You have opened the Maiden of Madness, and regret will surely follow. To cleanse the Night Killer's doll, it must first be placed in the chamber beneath her feet._

Roi takes that as his cue, setting the lanky murder doll into the now open hatch, before shutting it carefully with his foot, and stepping to the back of the crowd.

_Then, one of you must be chosen by vote to forfeit their life and enter the Maiden. Once the door has been sealed and their screams have ceased, the doll will be cleansed. Choose wisely. Their death will weigh on your conscience._

"Wait..." Colleen is first to break the harsh silence, her voice filled with a terrified disbelief. "So one of us has to commit suicide?"

"We have to choose someone right now to go inside there."

"Any volunteers?"

"Hell no!" Colleen's moved back beside a still silent Roi as she speaks, trying to defend both herself and her ally.

Safiya pipes up, her voice wavering ever so slightly to the point Manny needs to finish her sentence.

"You remember how on the map it said that there will be blood on our hands?"

"This is what they meant."

The oh-so familiar words echo back to him in his head.

_There will be blood on all of your hands. The price of being a hero in this town of horrors._

Roi's already sure he must fit that statement, Maiden or no Maiden, but he wouldn't exactly call himself a hero anymore.

The words _plead your case_ come from the circle again, and he goes first.

_He's won a challenge, he's stepped up, he's kept going despite everything this hellhole has thrown at him._

Colleen quickly agrees with him, and they move on.

At the conclusion to the list is Colleen, summarising everything in one panicked sentence.

"So basically all we've said is, we all need to be here."

"I guess I'm just gonna be upfront and honest," Roi's gaze lands on Joey as he speaks, looking Colleen in the eye, "I'm gonna vote for you."

_That's the second when it clicks._

**_The price of being a hero._ **

_For the first time in hours, he smiles._

_He knows what he needs to do._

-

Colleen is _more_ than panicking. Joey's after her, and like a domino effect, everyone else will be after her too. Well, not Roi, but should couldn't count on two votes against the four likely to put up against her name.

This is her fault, she came for Joey and now that he's proved himself with that coin, she's eating her own words, served up with a side of _death._

"No, you're not."

Her head snaps around to Roi, now standing over her shoulder. Joey looks to be in a slight state of shock, along with everyone else now looking to the boy.

"Roi, you can't tell people who to-"

"I'll do it."

" _What?"_

"I'll do this." He looks to the maiden, "Take me instead."

 _"What the fuck?"_ It's Manny who breaks out of his shell shocked state first.

"You heard me, I'll do it. Here-"

"Roi, _no!_ "

Colleen can't even process what she's hearing. He's volunteering himself? Why?

"Roi you are _not_ going in there, you've fought so hard-"

"Colleen, please let me do this."

She's conflicted. On one hand it's _her_ or him, on the other, it's her or _him._ Roi, her RV buddy, the bright eyed boy who this town has broken little by little ever since he came back from success.

"You can't."

"I have to."

"Do you hear what you're saying, Roi?"

"Yes, now please let me past-"

" _No!_ " She grabs him by the shoulders, trying her best to keep him still.

"Colleen-"

"Roi, you don't deserve to die!" She can feel the tears welling up in her eyes as she practically snaps at him, but he just comes back even more determined.

" _Neither do you_. _No one_ here deserves to go in there. _JC_ didn't deserve to die, _Nikita_ didn't deserve what happened to her, _Teala_ didn't deserve it and neither did _Matt_ , but they're all dead. Now, it's someone else's turn and I want- I _need_ it to be me. Please Colleen..."

Everyone has just gone silent around them, looking on with horrified faced as the event unfolds.

"Hey... Look on the bright side." He tries to smile again, but he can't quite muster the right energy, "I'll get to see the others, tell them that, for now, you're safe."

"I can tell Nikita I'm sorry," he directs that line at Manny, "tell Matt that you're okay." That one was for Ro and Saf.

"Roi. What would Teala say?"

Colleen's trying to plead with him, she's trying everything she can think of. He simple smiles back at her.

"Well I'll get to ask her, won't I?"

She just laughs, burying her face into her hands as it turns to hysteria. He just pulls her into a hug.

"Roi, you don't have to do this-" She can hear Safiya voice cracking as the girl speaks.

"Yes I do, I'm positive. I've said time and time again that I'm giving my all in this, whether that's beating monsters or trying my best to solve clues- Look, I'm not the smartest, or the strongest, but at this point, I am willing to give my life if it mean that you guys stand a better chance of getting out of here. Now it's me, or one of you, and I'm saying it going to be me."

He takes a deep breath, before his tone softens again.

"Hey, Saf, can you..."

He gently hands Colleen off to her, the dancer digging her fingers into the trim of her jacket.

"Take care of her... Okay?"

"Okay..."

Colleen can't see or hear what happens next, but it only take a minute before a gut wrenching scream echoes throughout the room, sending everyone around her into a state of broken sobs as well.

Safiya gently ushers her out of the room, pulling her back to the lounge as she helplessly breaks down in the girl's arms.

"We have the coins." Someone reminds her, "We need to open that box..."

...

_Revival._

That's what this is, a revival.

_Someone's coming back._

_But Joey and Safiya have to choose who._

"Hey." Colleen feels like she can hardly speak, but she needs to say _something,_ "You know what you need to do. It's not a matter of who we _want_ , it's who we _need_... Even if for some of us, that isn't the same person."

They look at each other, before nodding and turning away. Beside Colleen is Manny and Ro, and the three of them represent the three main outcomes of this situation.

Manny wants Nikita.

Ro wants Matt.

And she wants Roi.

Though she has to admit, as much as she adores her little RV buddy, the boy who sacrificed himself for everyone, he wasn't the powerhouse Matt was.

_She needs to accept that._

-

_The hours tick by._

Matt comes back, greeted on arrival by a group of broken hearts, tear stained faces and a briefcase.

Colleen finds herself in the challenge with Manny, and she knows she's done for. The second she steps out of that funhouse, she's already accepted her fate. Except it's not her end.

Instead, by a cruel twist of fate, it's Safiya's guts who end up on the floor, staining the carpet a crimson red of bitterness and the harsh reality that things are just going to get worse. Everyone's back to sobbing again, and this time Matt joins in.

...

Rosanna was next. Colleen somehow managed to avoid getting cursed, but that doesn't make waiting alone in Fat Man Slims for her friends to return any better. She paces around the room before they finally return, but the sweet smiling girl they left with didn't return with them.

...

Colleen's will to live is dwindling by the second, so why wouldn't she end up controlled by some psycho bitch with a hellhound, that's just another day in Everlock at this point(!). Even if she doesn't expect them to, they still save her, and when the time comes, it's her and Manny up for the second time round.

 _This is how I die._ She repeats in her head, _This time, I'm done for._

She thinks her suspicions are confirmed the second Manny pulls the hot pink gun out of a box.

_Murder or Suicide._

The colour of the metal reminds her of Nikita.

Apparently he's thinking the same thing.

"Hey..."

She looks him in the eyes as he warmly smiles back at her.

"Manny..."

"I'll tell Roi that you're gonna be okay."

"Manny, fuck- _No!_ "

She's too late.

All it takes is a couple of seconds before the record producer is a crumpled mess of death on the floor, a bullet wound straight through his skull.

Matt and Joey had to drag her out of that tent screaming.

...

_She needs to fight for him, live in his honour._

That's what she tells herself as she's running from zombies, Matt and Joey luring one of them to the Maiden's chamber. She couldn't face going back there herself.

_Fallen Heroes?_

Calliope? Mortimer? _Roi?_

Her head's racing as they set up the harp, before Joey carefully strums the strings.

Colleen's doesn't know what to think when their 'Heroes' arrive, on one hand she knows this means there's hope for the three of them, on the other hand she's wishes her earlier guesses could've been right...

...

_They're safe._

After a blur of a battle, she's standing with Matt outside the gates of Everlock, the night playing over and over in her head.

"I'm gonna miss Ro... And Saf."

"I'll miss Roi and Teala... Actually, I'll miss all of them."

"Yeah."

She sighs, looking off at the sun that's now rising in the distance.

_Long time no see, huh?_

"Hey Colleen."

"Hmm?"

"They won't be forgotten, we'll make sure of that."

"... I know..."

_She walks away from that town hoping  that if anything, everyone found each other again in the afterlife._

_They deserve at least to be happy._

-

"And if it wasn't for him... I wouldn't be standing here today. Roi Fabito was someone who fought until the end, and I'm just sorry that I never to the chance to say thank you. For saving me..."

For a brief second she looks down, her handing going to rest on her stomach.

_For saving us._

**Author's Note:**

> Oh dear.
> 
> Please scream @ me in the comments oops I'm very sorry.


End file.
